Fans gathered outside the Maytag Student Center yesterday at high noon to send the Central College softball team off in style as the Dutch hit the road to Eau Claire, Wisconsin for the 2013 NCAA Division III Softball Championships.

The Central College softball team made it three in a row yesterday afternoon, earning an unexpected run-rule victory over top-seeded St. Thomas of Minnesota, 9-1 in 5 innings in the winners bracket championship of the NCAA Division III Pella Regional.

Two runs in the top of the first inning were all that the Central College softball team needed yesterday afternoon, as the Dutch advanced in the NCAA Division III Pella Regional with a 3-1 win over Fontbonne University.

It took until the bottom of the 8th inning for the Central College softball team to collect its second hit of the game last night against Cornell College in the opening round of the Division III Pella Regional, but Katie Canney’s walk-off single to deep right field was all the Dutch needed to earn a 1-0 victory.

One of only 62 teams to still be playing at this point in the year, the Central softball team will try to start things off on the right foot later today at home against Cornell College in the first round of the NCAA Division III softball tournament.